Child-Resistant Lid and Related Methods

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a child-resistant beverage lid with a cover and a locking mechanism, wherein a cover can be locked in place to prevent a user from accessing the top and contents of a can. The child-resistant beverage lid is also configured to be a multi-use lid because once secured to the top of the can, the cover can be locked in place over the lid and unlocked to be opened multiple times.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 17/064,554, entitled Child-Resistant Lid and Related Methods (filed Oct. 6, 2020), which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 17/064,008, entitled Child-Resistant Lid and Related Methods (filed Oct. 6, 2020). This application is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 17/064,008, entitled Child-Resistant Lid and Related Methods (filed Oct. 6, 2020). U.S. application Ser. No. 17/064,554 and U.S. application Ser. No. 17/064,008 are incorporated herein by reference.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO AN APPENDIX SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC AND INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE OF THE MATERIAL ON THE COMPACT DISC

Not applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR A JOINT INVENTOR

Reserved for a later date, if necessary.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of Invention

The disclosed subject matter is in the field of child-resistant lids for canned beverages and storage units.

Background of the Invention

With the increased sale and use of cannabis related products, there is an increased need for child-resistant packaging, lids, containers, and storage units for such products. As medicinal and recreational use of cannabis and cannabis related products increases, there are more requirements that these cannabis products be stored in child-resistant containers and packaging. For example, the state of California requires that all cannabis flower, pre-rolls, and cannabis products sold within California be in child-resistant packaging. One type of product that is becoming increasingly popular are cannabis infused beverages. Accordingly, the cans for beverages containing cannabis substances should be sealed with a child-resistant lid. One efficient method of providing child-resistant cans is to secure a child-resistant lid onto a common beverage can.

Child resistant lids are also desirable for other types of beverages that may be toxic or harmful if consumed by a child. Accordingly, a need exits for a child-resistant lid that can be secured to the existing beverage can design, so that cannabis related beverages may be child-resistant when stored.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing, an object of this specification is to disclose a lid that is child-resistant.

It is another object of this specification to disclose a multi-use child-resistant lid that can be secured to the top of a beverage can.

Other objectives of the disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the invention has been shown and described.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The manner in which these objectives and other desirable characteristics can be obtained is explained in the following description and attached figures in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the child-resistant lid;

FIG. 2 is a front view of one embodiment of the child-resistant lid;

FIG. 3 is a side view of one embodiment of the child-resistant lid;

FIG. 4 is a side view of one embodiment of the child-resistant lid;

FIG. 5 is a back view of one embodiment of the child-resistant lid;

FIG. 6 is a top view of one embodiment of the child-resistant lid;

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of one embodiment of the child-resistant lid;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the child-resistant lid;

FIG. 9 is a bottom perspective view of one embodiment of the child-resistant lid;

FIG. 10 is a bottom perspective view of one embodiment of the child-resistant lid;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the child-resistant lid in an open configuration;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the child-resistant lid in an open configuration;

FIG. 13 is a bottom perspective view of one embodiment of the child-resistant lid in an open configuration; and,

FIG. 14 is a bottom perspective view of one embodiment of the child-resistant lid in an open configuration.

It is to be noted, however, that the appended figures illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments that will be appreciated by those reasonably skilled in the relevant arts. Also, figures are not necessarily made to scale but are representative.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Disclosed are several embodiments of a multi-use child-resistant lid. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the child-resistant lid. Referring to FIG. 1, the child-resistant lid is comprised of a base 10, a cover 20, a tab 30, a lock 40, and a hinge 50. In a preferred embodiment, the lid is secured to the top of a lip of a can. When the lid is secured to a can, the can becomes child-resistant, the pop-tab and mouth opening of the can are concealed, and the contents of the can become more difficult to access.

As shown in FIG. 1, the cover 20, which prevents access to the opening of the can, features a tab 30, a lock 40, and a hinge 50. The tab 30 protrudes from the cover 20, whereby a user may grab the tab 30 to lift/open and lower/close the cover 20 over the top of the can. The hinge 50 attaches the cover 20 to the body of the lid, so that the cover 20 may be open and closed without removing the child-resistant lid from the can. See FIGS. 11-14. The lock 40 is hingedly connected to the body and provides the child-resistant properties of the lid, wherein the lock 40, is a locking mechanism that latches over a notch on the edge of the cover 20 and can be pulled back to release the locking mechanism and allow the cover 20 to move upward. That is, in a preferred embodiment, the lock 40 provides an interference lock that secures the cover 20 in place until the lock 40 is pulled away from the cover 20. In another embodiment, the lock 40 may be a latch that features a tongue that is snapped over a groove on the top of the cover 20. In another embodiment, the lock 40 may be a latch that features a groove that is snapped over a tongue or lip on the cover 20. In each preferred embodiment, the lock 40 is aligned with the corresponding receiving locking mechanism on the cover 20 (i.e., a notch, tongue, or groove).

FIG. 2 is a front view of one embodiment of the child-resistant lid. FIG. 30 is a side view of one embodiment of the child-resistant lid. FIG. 4 is a side view of one embodiment of the child-resistant lid. FIG. 5 is a back view of one embodiment of the child-resistant lid. Referring to FIGS. 2-5, in one embodiment, the lock 40 is attached to the base of the lid, wherein the lock 40 can be pulled and pushed back and forth without being removed from the lid. In a preferred embodiment, the child-resistant lid may be comprised of plastic. In an alternative embodiment, the lid may be comprised of aluminum, or other rigid material known to one of skill in the art.

FIG. 6 is a top view of one embodiment of the child-resistant lid. FIG. 7 is a bottom view of one embodiment of the child-resistant lid. Referring to FIG. 7, the inside of the base 10 may feature a snap-fit mechanism that is defined by an annular crevice with a protruding ledge 60, or protruding ledges 60, that form a snap-fit over the lip edge of the top rim of a can whenever the lip of the can is inserted into the annular crevice. This feature of the lid allows the lid to be snapped in place and secured over the top of a can to form a child-resistant seal. See also FIGS. 9 & 10. This allows the lid to be snapped in place and secured over the top rim of a can once the rim is inserted into the annular crevice.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the child-resistant lid. FIG. 9 is a bottom perspective view of one embodiment of the child-resistant lid. FIG. 10 is a bottom perspective view of one embodiment of the child-resistant lid. FIG. 11 is an environmental view of one embodiment of the child-resistant lid.

Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, the inside of the base 10 may feature an annular crevice with a protruding ledge 60, or protruding ledges 60, that form a snap-fit over the lip edge of the top of a can whenever the lip of the can is inserted into the annular crevice. This feature of the lid allows the lid to be snapped in place and secured over the top of a can.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the child-resistant lid in an open configuration. FIG. 12 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the child-resistant lid in an open configuration. FIG. 13 is a bottom perspective view of one embodiment of the child-resistant lid in an open configuration. FIG. 14 is a bottom perspective view of one embodiment of the child-resistant lid in an open configuration. Referring to FIGS. 13 and 14, a user may secure a child-resistant lid to the top of a can by placing the child-resistant lid over the top of a can, wherein at least one protruding ledge is in contact with the lip of the can, and pushing down on it, wherein the protruding ledges snap over the lip of the can and the lip of the can in inserted and secured within an annular crevice of the inside of the child-resistant lid. Once the lid is secured over the top of a can, referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, a user may access the top of the can by pulling back on the lock 4 and releasing it from locking the cover 20 in place. Once the lock 40 is pulled back, a user may grab the tab 30 and pull up on the tab to lift the cover 20 up, exposing the top of the can. Since the cover 20 is connected to the body of the lid by a hinge 5, the cover 2 is not removed from the lid. When the cover 20 is in an open configuration, a user may close and lock the lid by pushing the cover 20 down and then push the lock 40 back over the top edge of the cover 20, whereby a child-resistant seal is formed via a locking mechanism. The lock can be pushed outward and inward numerous times over the lifetime of the lid, so this lid is suitable for multi-use applications where a user desires to form a child-resistant seal each time the cover of a lid is open and closed over a can.

Referring to FIG. 14, the locking mechanism may be a lock 4, which is a latch or tongue, and a corresponding notch or groove 70 on the cover, wherein when in a closed configuration, to lock the cover, the lock 40 is moved over the cover so that it latches on and over the notch or groove 70.

Although the method and apparatus is described above in terms of various exemplary embodiments and implementations, it should be understood that the various features, aspects and functionality described in one or more of the individual embodiments are not limited in their applicability to the particular embodiment with which they are described, but instead might be applied, alone or in various combinations, to one or more of the other embodiments of the disclosed method and apparatus, whether or not such embodiments are described and whether or not such features are presented as being a part of a described embodiment. Thus, the breadth and scope of the claimed invention should not be limited by any of the above-described embodiments.

Terms and phrases used in this document, and variations thereof, unless otherwise expressly stated, should be construed as open-ended as opposed to limiting. As examples of the foregoing: the term “including” should be read as meaning “including, without limitation” or the like, the term “example” is used to provide exemplary instances of the item in discussion, not an exhaustive or limiting list thereof, the terms “a” or “an” should be read as meaning “at least one,” “one or more,” or the like, and adjectives such as “conventional,” “traditional,” “normal,” “standard,” “known” and terms of similar meaning should not be construed as limiting the item described to a given time period or to an item available as of a given time, but instead should be read to encompass conventional, traditional, normal, or standard technologies that might be available or known now or at any time in the future. Likewise, where this document refers to technologies that would be apparent or known to one of ordinary skill in the art, such technologies encompass those apparent or known to the skilled artisan now or at any time in the future.

The presence of broadening words and phrases such as “one or more,” “at least,” “but not limited to” or other like phrases in some instances shall not be read to mean that the narrower case is intended or required in instances where such broadening phrases might be absent.

Additionally, the various embodiments set forth herein are described in terms of exemplary block diagrams, flow charts and other illustrations. As will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after reading this document, the illustrated embodiments and their various alternatives might be implemented without confinement to the illustrated examples. For example, block diagrams and their accompanying description should not be construed as mandating a particular architecture or configuration.

All original claims submitted with this specification are incorporated by reference in their entirety as if fully set forth herein. 

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 9. A method of making a beverage child-resistant comprising the steps of: obtaining a lid comprising a base, at least one protruding ledge on the inside of the base that forms an annular crevice, a cover that is attached to the base by a hinge; and, a lock that is hingedly connected to an upper edge of the base, wherein the lock may be manipulated; placing the lid over the top of the beverage can, whereby the protruding ledge is in contact with the lip of the can; pressing the lid down; and, snapping the protruding ledge of the base of the lid over a lip of the can, whereby the lid is secured over the can with a child-resistant seal.
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